After ten months and 37 games, and many twists, turns, shocks and surprises, the fate of five Barclays Premier League clubs comes down to 90 minutes. Survival Sunday is well and truly upon us.
Going into the final day, Wigan and Blackpool (both 39pts) occupy the two remaining relegation places, with Birmingham (39) outside on goal difference. Wolves host Blackburn (both on 40 pts), where the winners are guaranteed safety, and that is where I shall start my preview.
This game could very easily turn into an Austria v West Germany situation. On that occasion, the sides pre-arranged a 1-0 German win that benefited both countries, changing the rules for last-day fixtures. I am not suggesting there will be any pre-game chat here between Messrs Kean and McCarthy, but if the other games are going their way both teams will certainly settle for a draw and play keep-ball for as long as necessary. The caveat is that a draw would send both sides down if all of the other three relegation rivals win, and Wolves alone would drop if any two of the other three emerge with three points.
Wolves therefore will be more keen for the win, but despite their very good form of late, I think this game will be a draw.
Blackpool are off to Old Trafford to take on the champions Manchester United, where in all likelihood, they will have to win the game to stay up. Only West Brom have taken so much as a point from the Theatre of Dreams this season, and even that looks a tall order for the Tangerines, irrespective of Sir Alex Ferguson's team selection. In my opinion he can put the youth team out with no arguments; I think its fair to say that he has earnt the right to select any 11 players he likes. Whichever side comes out, they ought to be too strong. After all, their 'reserves' have already beaten Schalke 04 4-1 this season.
I'll go for a comfortable home win to send Blackpool back into the Championship.
Wigan have, in my opinion, the most winnable of the final fixtures against a Stoke side who must surely have their summer holidays in mind following the FA Cup final defeat. That said, it won't be a gimme for the Latics, the Britannia Stadium is still one of the more difficult grounds from which to take a result home. That said, I think Wigan's hunger alone - emphatically shown by their comeback last week against West Ham - can get them the result they hope will keep them up.
As I said, of all the opponents they could have had, Wigan probably would have chosen Stoke, and I think they will get the point they need for survival.
That is because Birmingham, who have dropped like a stone since winning the Carling Cup, are at a Tottenham side who still have fifth place, and a Europa League berth, to secure. Spurs are seemingly over their wobble, and their win at Liverpool was one of the more impressive results of the season. Despite Harry Redknapp's apparent lack of interest in the Europa League, he will be desperate to ensure that they finish as high as possible, ie. 5th, to secure it.
I can only see an easy home win here, sorry Blues fans.
So it's Blackpool and Birmingham to join West Ham in the second tier next season in my opinion. I'm sure it won't be that simple though. They will probably all be safe or down at some point, and I can't wait to see it unfold. Apparently there are 81 different permutations today, we may even see most of them. See you at 4.00!
Sunday, 22 May 2011
Tuesday, 17 May 2011
A decent effort, but Forest fall short again
Nottingham Forest suffered another play-off disappointment last night, the defeat at Swansea's Liberty Stadium means the club has now failed in four such campaigns. But what do the fans take from the season? Pleasure from another decent attempt at promotion, or frustration that they came up short again? Probably both.
Some may look back at the season and think of it is a disappointment, a failure even, but for me, far from it. At the start of the campaign another tilt at the big time looked an awful long way off after a summer of discontent at the club. I blogged at the end of August expressing my anger at what I assumed would be the start of a downward spiral and a year of, at best, mid-table mediocrity. I did mention however that we hadn't become a bad side overnight either, and that's how it turned out to be fair.
We were, at the start of the season, a difficult team to beat without being spectacular, or indeed winning enough games, and that was how we continued really for too long. Players came in, which was an improvement on last year, but they were replacements rather than additions, and the squad was still far too thin. Although we were challenging for a top-two place as recently as February, there was a feeling in my head that it was almost too good to be true. There followed a sharp decline in form in the spring was in a part down to our lack of strength in depth and injuries and suspensions hitting that had stayed away a few weeks earlier.
The promotion season in League One saw Forest look out of the reckoning, before 6 wins in the last 7 got that side over the line. This season looked similar to that. Defeat at Norwich left us needing - in my opinion at the time - an unlikely 10 points, or even 12, from the last four games. We got 12 to get into the play-off places again. Unbelievable. I didn't see that coming after the Carrow Road game. Would momentum take us over the line? If only it was that simple, but I did have a feeling that the underdogs tag would suit us, as opposed to being the huge favourites we were against Blackpool, and before that, Yeovil Town. Sorry for the reminders!
As it turned out, we were underdogs for a reason. Swansea defended brilliantly at the City Ground with ten men, although were helped by Forest's alarming lack of ambition in the first half. The 0-0 scoreline felt like a win for them and Forest had, in my eyes, missed the boat. The second leg performance was much better from the Reds, but the Swans deserved the win. You have to take your chances, you cant afford to miss ones like those not taken by Marcus Tudgay and David McGoldrick.
Of course I was disappointed to have lost, but not devastated like in the aforementioned semi-finals. Rightly or wrongly, it didn't feel as bad. Overall it has been a decent season, but are decent seasons enough? Now we know we are a Championship club once again, we can get down to the business of sorting out the futures of those out of contract. I really hope the final-year trio of Guy Moussi, Nathan Tyson and Rob Earnshaw do not see their futures elsewhere. I would also like to see on-loan Kris Boyd at the club full time. There will probably be a few departures, but as long as more come in than go out we should be ok and ready to have another go next season.
Some may look back at the season and think of it is a disappointment, a failure even, but for me, far from it. At the start of the campaign another tilt at the big time looked an awful long way off after a summer of discontent at the club. I blogged at the end of August expressing my anger at what I assumed would be the start of a downward spiral and a year of, at best, mid-table mediocrity. I did mention however that we hadn't become a bad side overnight either, and that's how it turned out to be fair.
We were, at the start of the season, a difficult team to beat without being spectacular, or indeed winning enough games, and that was how we continued really for too long. Players came in, which was an improvement on last year, but they were replacements rather than additions, and the squad was still far too thin. Although we were challenging for a top-two place as recently as February, there was a feeling in my head that it was almost too good to be true. There followed a sharp decline in form in the spring was in a part down to our lack of strength in depth and injuries and suspensions hitting that had stayed away a few weeks earlier.
The promotion season in League One saw Forest look out of the reckoning, before 6 wins in the last 7 got that side over the line. This season looked similar to that. Defeat at Norwich left us needing - in my opinion at the time - an unlikely 10 points, or even 12, from the last four games. We got 12 to get into the play-off places again. Unbelievable. I didn't see that coming after the Carrow Road game. Would momentum take us over the line? If only it was that simple, but I did have a feeling that the underdogs tag would suit us, as opposed to being the huge favourites we were against Blackpool, and before that, Yeovil Town. Sorry for the reminders!
As it turned out, we were underdogs for a reason. Swansea defended brilliantly at the City Ground with ten men, although were helped by Forest's alarming lack of ambition in the first half. The 0-0 scoreline felt like a win for them and Forest had, in my eyes, missed the boat. The second leg performance was much better from the Reds, but the Swans deserved the win. You have to take your chances, you cant afford to miss ones like those not taken by Marcus Tudgay and David McGoldrick.
Of course I was disappointed to have lost, but not devastated like in the aforementioned semi-finals. Rightly or wrongly, it didn't feel as bad. Overall it has been a decent season, but are decent seasons enough? Now we know we are a Championship club once again, we can get down to the business of sorting out the futures of those out of contract. I really hope the final-year trio of Guy Moussi, Nathan Tyson and Rob Earnshaw do not see their futures elsewhere. I would also like to see on-loan Kris Boyd at the club full time. There will probably be a few departures, but as long as more come in than go out we should be ok and ready to have another go next season.
Friday, 18 March 2011
Darts' night of shame
Last night saw the long awaited rematch of January's Ladbrokes.com World Darts Championship final between Adrian Lewis and Gary Anderson in week 6 of the 888.com Premier League. What was expected was a top-class display of arrows that would wow us like the Alexandra Palace showpiece did, all done before a partisan but well behaved Scottish crowd. What we got was one of the most shameful hours in the competition's - no, the sport's history.
Of course we expected the World Champion to be subjected to a rough reception - he was playing a Scotsman in Scotland after all, but nobody could have expected or can condone the line which was crossed by a small minority.
Lewis had beer thrown at him during his walk-on, and as if that wasn't bad enough, he then had to withstand a barrage of coins thrown at himself and even the dartboard during his visits to the oche. I don't think any player would have been able to take that, and nobody was surprised when Anderson, at this point visibly upset and embarrasssed at his countrymen's actions, raced into a 3-0 lead.
Anderson looked even more rattled by it than Lewis did, and at one point picked a coin up from the stage, pocketed it, and then missed three darts at double top, arguably deliberately, to gift Lewis a leg he nearly got booed out of.
Although the professional standard these days means that players are rarely put off their stride by crowd noise, this was something else, and both players posted averages (Lewis 88.18, Anderson 87.28) a full eleven and twelve points lower than their respective 99's at the World final in January. The majority of the supporters - who it must be said had been well behaved, and had earlier given Raymond van Barneveld an unbelievable reception - had every right to feel cheated.
Sadly, the PDC's tournaments, and especially the Premier League, are no stranger to misbehaving fans, but this is surely the incident - which has to be seen to be truly believed - that makes Barry Hearn and his team stand up, take notice and realise that the players and the real fans will not stand for it any longer.
Of course we expected the World Champion to be subjected to a rough reception - he was playing a Scotsman in Scotland after all, but nobody could have expected or can condone the line which was crossed by a small minority.
Lewis had beer thrown at him during his walk-on, and as if that wasn't bad enough, he then had to withstand a barrage of coins thrown at himself and even the dartboard during his visits to the oche. I don't think any player would have been able to take that, and nobody was surprised when Anderson, at this point visibly upset and embarrasssed at his countrymen's actions, raced into a 3-0 lead.
Anderson looked even more rattled by it than Lewis did, and at one point picked a coin up from the stage, pocketed it, and then missed three darts at double top, arguably deliberately, to gift Lewis a leg he nearly got booed out of.
Although the professional standard these days means that players are rarely put off their stride by crowd noise, this was something else, and both players posted averages (Lewis 88.18, Anderson 87.28) a full eleven and twelve points lower than their respective 99's at the World final in January. The majority of the supporters - who it must be said had been well behaved, and had earlier given Raymond van Barneveld an unbelievable reception - had every right to feel cheated.
Sadly, the PDC's tournaments, and especially the Premier League, are no stranger to misbehaving fans, but this is surely the incident - which has to be seen to be truly believed - that makes Barry Hearn and his team stand up, take notice and realise that the players and the real fans will not stand for it any longer.
Tuesday, 1 February 2011
Chelsea and Liverpool dominate Deadline Day
The January transfer window has seen unprecedented spending this year, especially when compared to the same period last season. Barclays Premier League clubs have spent over £200m this month compared to around £30m in 2010.
Of course, two clubs dominated the headlines on yesterday's Deadline Day. Chelsea had had a quiet time of it in recent transfer windows, not least because of the Gael Kakuta saga a couple of windows back, but this time they announced their re-emergence on the top financial table with a vengeance. The long-awaited, will they, won't they story finally reached a conclusion with the sensational signing of Benfica's David Luiz. Oh, and they signed some bloke called Torres as well.
Of course, Luiz adds defensive options to the club that perhaps they have lacked since Ricardo Carvalho's departure in the summer, and there have been questions about the form and fitness of Alex, Jose Bosingwa and John Terry. I'm sure he will be a great addition to the back line, but it is the Torres signing from Liverpool, for a British transfer record fee of £50m, that has really got the Blues fans excited.
Liverpool would have been desperate to keep their star striker, one who on form is possibly the best in the world, although this season he has cut a forlorn figure, and especially during the Roy Hodgson era, looked like a player who wished he was anywhere else. But every player has his price, and as soon as it became apparent that El Nino wanted to leave, Liverpool would have been crazy to turn the money down. Now, Torres has got his move, I expect him to hit the ground running. A goal against Liverpool on Sunday would be the perfect way to announce his arrival at Stamford Bridge. Of course, one added benefit is that he is not cup-tied for the Champions League this season, unlike the majority of big money January buys have been down the years. Torres is as desperate as Chelsea are to win what the club sees as the holy grail, their first European Cup.
The £50m didn't stay in the Anfield coffers for long though. The £22.8m deal to bring in Ajax's Luis Suarez had been done before Torres' move south, and that should be a great piece of business, but it was their second purchase which really got heads turning.
Newcastle frontman Andy Carroll is obviously a player of huge talent, and tremendous potential, but a £35m price tag is one worthy of all-time greats - David Villa was signed by Barcelona for £34m for example- not players with just 34 career goals, and only half a season of regular Premier League starts. That said, he has proven himself to be capable of playing with a huge weight of pressure on his shoulders - he was Newcastle's number 9 of course, and they don't give that shirt away in a raffle. With a good strike partner in Suarez, and service from Steven Gerrard, he should bang them in when he is fit, but if not, there will be questions asked about just why Liverpool paid quite so much money.
Of course the positive PR for the new owners might have had a great deal to do with it. What better way for John W. Henry and his team to announce 'We are not Hicks and Gillett, we are here for this club and its fans' than to spend the sort of money that could put Liverpool back to where they feel it belongs?
One thing is for sure, Sunday's game at Stamfor Bridge between Chelsea and Liverpool is sure to be a fiery one. Their intense rivalry which has developed over the last six or seven years or so is about to enter a whole new exciting chapter.
Of course, two clubs dominated the headlines on yesterday's Deadline Day. Chelsea had had a quiet time of it in recent transfer windows, not least because of the Gael Kakuta saga a couple of windows back, but this time they announced their re-emergence on the top financial table with a vengeance. The long-awaited, will they, won't they story finally reached a conclusion with the sensational signing of Benfica's David Luiz. Oh, and they signed some bloke called Torres as well.
Of course, Luiz adds defensive options to the club that perhaps they have lacked since Ricardo Carvalho's departure in the summer, and there have been questions about the form and fitness of Alex, Jose Bosingwa and John Terry. I'm sure he will be a great addition to the back line, but it is the Torres signing from Liverpool, for a British transfer record fee of £50m, that has really got the Blues fans excited.
Liverpool would have been desperate to keep their star striker, one who on form is possibly the best in the world, although this season he has cut a forlorn figure, and especially during the Roy Hodgson era, looked like a player who wished he was anywhere else. But every player has his price, and as soon as it became apparent that El Nino wanted to leave, Liverpool would have been crazy to turn the money down. Now, Torres has got his move, I expect him to hit the ground running. A goal against Liverpool on Sunday would be the perfect way to announce his arrival at Stamford Bridge. Of course, one added benefit is that he is not cup-tied for the Champions League this season, unlike the majority of big money January buys have been down the years. Torres is as desperate as Chelsea are to win what the club sees as the holy grail, their first European Cup.
The £50m didn't stay in the Anfield coffers for long though. The £22.8m deal to bring in Ajax's Luis Suarez had been done before Torres' move south, and that should be a great piece of business, but it was their second purchase which really got heads turning.
Newcastle frontman Andy Carroll is obviously a player of huge talent, and tremendous potential, but a £35m price tag is one worthy of all-time greats - David Villa was signed by Barcelona for £34m for example- not players with just 34 career goals, and only half a season of regular Premier League starts. That said, he has proven himself to be capable of playing with a huge weight of pressure on his shoulders - he was Newcastle's number 9 of course, and they don't give that shirt away in a raffle. With a good strike partner in Suarez, and service from Steven Gerrard, he should bang them in when he is fit, but if not, there will be questions asked about just why Liverpool paid quite so much money.
Of course the positive PR for the new owners might have had a great deal to do with it. What better way for John W. Henry and his team to announce 'We are not Hicks and Gillett, we are here for this club and its fans' than to spend the sort of money that could put Liverpool back to where they feel it belongs?
One thing is for sure, Sunday's game at Stamfor Bridge between Chelsea and Liverpool is sure to be a fiery one. Their intense rivalry which has developed over the last six or seven years or so is about to enter a whole new exciting chapter.
Monday, 13 December 2010
World Darts Championship preview
On Thursday the eyes of the darting world will once again be focused on the Alexandra Palace in London, as the 2011 Ladbrokes.com World Darts Championship gets underway. It's the one tournament of the year which defines careers, and for me at least, it is the sporting event which defines the Christmas period, especially since the BBC took the World's Strongest Man off our screens.
Of course, there is one darting heavyweight that goes into every tournament the huge favourite to win, and that is Phil Taylor. The Stoke legend is 4/7 with the sponsors to win a 16th world title. The Power begins his campaign on the opening night against the winner of the first Preliminary Round tie, either the little known Filipino Juanito Gionzon or more likely the popular American Gary Mawson, a former UK Open finalist. His possible second round opponent is John Part, the one player in the last ten years or so not afraid of the Power, and with the knowledge of how to beat him. I for one am hoping to see a match that if it comes close to their legendary final of 2003, where the Canadian won his second world title, will be one to savour.
Although Taylor comes to the Ally Pally the huge favourite, he doesn't have the form of a player firing on all cylinders. His failure to win the Grand Prix, Grand Slam and the World Cup with England has planted a seed of doubt in some minds, but we have seen before that a written-off Taylor is as dangerous, if not more so, than a Taylor in his prime and he will be more keen than ever to show the world who rules this sport.
His biggest challenger of late has been James Wade. Until England's shock World Cup defeat to Spain earlier this month, Wade's first round draw against Antonio Alcinas went largely unnoticed, and was perhaps considered to be a glorified bye into the last 32. But the Spaniard certainly won admirers in Sunderland, and at the European Championship, where he was narrowly beaten by Mark Walsh, and Wade will have to play well to win, make no mistake. A tricky second round tie would await the Machine against either Michael van Gerwen or the dangerous Austrian Mensur Suljovic, a player more than capable of producing two upsets to reach the last 16 himself. Top players often talk about wanting a tough test early in the tournament, and Wade's certainly got that, but if he gets into the third round, expect him to get a lot further from a relatively comfortable quarter of the draw.
It is fair to say that Raymond van Barneveld has had a difficult few years, on and off the oche, but one thing that darts fans across the world want to see above all others, is to see the Barney of 2006-07 when he won the UK Open and of course the World Championship in what is considered the greatest match of all time against Phil Taylor. Since then we have seen a van Barneveld who has had as many battles with himself as with his opponents. Since he won his 5th World Championship at Purfleet, his record has been disappointing, with a noticable shortage of major individual televised titles. He is however, returning to the scene of two of his greatest moments, the two magical nine-dart legs in each of the last two years so we know he can turn it on here. After last year's disappointment, after which he claimed 2010 was 'already lost', he will be desperate to make amends. He should comfortably make the quarter-finals, where he is likely to meet Mervyn King or Gary Anderson. Time will tell whether he still has the mental strength or the game to defeat either in a nine-set encounter.
This year was the first year where there were no big-name moves from the BDO, so we are lacking the 'dangerous floaters' seen in previous draws in the shape of Anderson, King, Mark Webster, Simon Whitlock and of course Barney, who was seeded 32 at the time of his Circus Tavern win. That means that we may be short of upsets, or stand-out ties in the first round, but for me, the few of the top 32 that could be under threat from the non-seeds are the aforementioned Michael van Gerwen; Jelle Klaasen, who faces the talented Bristolian Steve Brown, and Alan Tabern, who lacks recent TV form and is against a resurgent Richie Burnett, whose floor form of late got him into the draw. The former Embassy winner will fancy his chances in a first round he nearly didn't reach. Terry Jenkins has a very poor record at the Alexandra Palace, with two first round exits, one of which came against shock finalist Kirk Shepherd three years ago, and a third round departure last year. He come up against Joe Cullen of Bradford, who may fancy his chances of adding to his growing reputation as a rising star of the future.
The tournament get underway on Thursday and you can see every dart live on Sky Sports HD. A fantastic year of darts has been building up to these next two weeks, and I for one cannot wait for it to start.
Let me know your thoughts via the best darts group on Facebook, of which I am a member and officer, or via my Twitter page. Game On!
Of course, there is one darting heavyweight that goes into every tournament the huge favourite to win, and that is Phil Taylor. The Stoke legend is 4/7 with the sponsors to win a 16th world title. The Power begins his campaign on the opening night against the winner of the first Preliminary Round tie, either the little known Filipino Juanito Gionzon or more likely the popular American Gary Mawson, a former UK Open finalist. His possible second round opponent is John Part, the one player in the last ten years or so not afraid of the Power, and with the knowledge of how to beat him. I for one am hoping to see a match that if it comes close to their legendary final of 2003, where the Canadian won his second world title, will be one to savour.
Although Taylor comes to the Ally Pally the huge favourite, he doesn't have the form of a player firing on all cylinders. His failure to win the Grand Prix, Grand Slam and the World Cup with England has planted a seed of doubt in some minds, but we have seen before that a written-off Taylor is as dangerous, if not more so, than a Taylor in his prime and he will be more keen than ever to show the world who rules this sport.
His biggest challenger of late has been James Wade. Until England's shock World Cup defeat to Spain earlier this month, Wade's first round draw against Antonio Alcinas went largely unnoticed, and was perhaps considered to be a glorified bye into the last 32. But the Spaniard certainly won admirers in Sunderland, and at the European Championship, where he was narrowly beaten by Mark Walsh, and Wade will have to play well to win, make no mistake. A tricky second round tie would await the Machine against either Michael van Gerwen or the dangerous Austrian Mensur Suljovic, a player more than capable of producing two upsets to reach the last 16 himself. Top players often talk about wanting a tough test early in the tournament, and Wade's certainly got that, but if he gets into the third round, expect him to get a lot further from a relatively comfortable quarter of the draw.
It is fair to say that Raymond van Barneveld has had a difficult few years, on and off the oche, but one thing that darts fans across the world want to see above all others, is to see the Barney of 2006-07 when he won the UK Open and of course the World Championship in what is considered the greatest match of all time against Phil Taylor. Since then we have seen a van Barneveld who has had as many battles with himself as with his opponents. Since he won his 5th World Championship at Purfleet, his record has been disappointing, with a noticable shortage of major individual televised titles. He is however, returning to the scene of two of his greatest moments, the two magical nine-dart legs in each of the last two years so we know he can turn it on here. After last year's disappointment, after which he claimed 2010 was 'already lost', he will be desperate to make amends. He should comfortably make the quarter-finals, where he is likely to meet Mervyn King or Gary Anderson. Time will tell whether he still has the mental strength or the game to defeat either in a nine-set encounter.
This year was the first year where there were no big-name moves from the BDO, so we are lacking the 'dangerous floaters' seen in previous draws in the shape of Anderson, King, Mark Webster, Simon Whitlock and of course Barney, who was seeded 32 at the time of his Circus Tavern win. That means that we may be short of upsets, or stand-out ties in the first round, but for me, the few of the top 32 that could be under threat from the non-seeds are the aforementioned Michael van Gerwen; Jelle Klaasen, who faces the talented Bristolian Steve Brown, and Alan Tabern, who lacks recent TV form and is against a resurgent Richie Burnett, whose floor form of late got him into the draw. The former Embassy winner will fancy his chances in a first round he nearly didn't reach. Terry Jenkins has a very poor record at the Alexandra Palace, with two first round exits, one of which came against shock finalist Kirk Shepherd three years ago, and a third round departure last year. He come up against Joe Cullen of Bradford, who may fancy his chances of adding to his growing reputation as a rising star of the future.
The tournament get underway on Thursday and you can see every dart live on Sky Sports HD. A fantastic year of darts has been building up to these next two weeks, and I for one cannot wait for it to start.
Let me know your thoughts via the best darts group on Facebook, of which I am a member and officer, or via my Twitter page. Game On!
Monday, 18 October 2010
Much to think about in the North West
Sunday's Merseyside derby was a fiery affair, full of passion, commitment and players capable of winning games by themselves. Sadly for Liverpool, those qualities only came from Everton, as Roy Hodgson's side were overrun, overawed, and frankly embarrassed by their neighbours from across Stanley Park as they slipped to 19th in the Barclays Premier League. John Henry had been full of optimism during the week as his New England Sports Ventures finally completed its takeover at Anfield, and that was - albeit cautiously in places - matched by the fans, but by full time at Goodison Park the size of the task that awaits the new regime was all too clear to see.
Robbie Fowler said on Sky Sports' Super Sunday that he thought this Liverpool team was worse than the Leeds United side of 2004 which was relegated. Although I am not too sure about that, one thing is certain; it will not be a quick fix. They are not one or two signings away from putting it right, they are about six or seven. At the moment, Hodgson could do worse than tempt the Kop legend back from Australia; at least he would show more commitment to the cause than Fernando Torres seems to be. He is cutting a lonelier and more forlorn figure as each game goes by, and looks like a player desperate to escape. He must be wondering what might have been, given Chelsea's and Manchester City's interest this past summer.
Another player reportedly desperate to leave his club is Manchester United's Wayne Rooney. The out-of-form England striker has struggled to see eye to eye with Sir Alex Ferguson of late, and his admission of his apparent fitness has riled the boss, who has long insisted that his ankle injury is worse than the rest of us think. He is out of contract at the end of next season, but United, well aware of their awkward financial situation, will not waste any time in offering his services now to those with a £50 million transfer fee to spare in January. I can think of one particular club not too far from Old Trafford who would love to reunite him with an old partner in crime. Of course Ferguson has reminded us before that nobody is bigger than Manchester United with the exits of Roy Keane, David Beckham and Jaap Stam, but like he admitted with the Dutchman, I can't help but feel that any Rooney departure would be a massive mistake for the club, and one from which they could take years to recover from.
Robbie Fowler said on Sky Sports' Super Sunday that he thought this Liverpool team was worse than the Leeds United side of 2004 which was relegated. Although I am not too sure about that, one thing is certain; it will not be a quick fix. They are not one or two signings away from putting it right, they are about six or seven. At the moment, Hodgson could do worse than tempt the Kop legend back from Australia; at least he would show more commitment to the cause than Fernando Torres seems to be. He is cutting a lonelier and more forlorn figure as each game goes by, and looks like a player desperate to escape. He must be wondering what might have been, given Chelsea's and Manchester City's interest this past summer.
Another player reportedly desperate to leave his club is Manchester United's Wayne Rooney. The out-of-form England striker has struggled to see eye to eye with Sir Alex Ferguson of late, and his admission of his apparent fitness has riled the boss, who has long insisted that his ankle injury is worse than the rest of us think. He is out of contract at the end of next season, but United, well aware of their awkward financial situation, will not waste any time in offering his services now to those with a £50 million transfer fee to spare in January. I can think of one particular club not too far from Old Trafford who would love to reunite him with an old partner in crime. Of course Ferguson has reminded us before that nobody is bigger than Manchester United with the exits of Roy Keane, David Beckham and Jaap Stam, but like he admitted with the Dutchman, I can't help but feel that any Rooney departure would be a massive mistake for the club, and one from which they could take years to recover from.
Tuesday, 31 August 2010
That could have been us...
At the end of the 2008-09 season, Nottingham Forest survived relegation back to League One with one game of the league left. It was a difficult year, during which many supporters resigned themselves to falling back into League One, a division the club had spent three dreadful years trying to escape.
After sacking Colin Calderwood and appointing his replacement Billy Davies, Forest just about did enough to secure Championship status. The following summer, he, and the Transfer Acquisitions panel containing Chief Executive Mark Arthur, Chairman Nigel Doughty and David Pleat, sought, and delivered, the new arrivals to bring Forest up to Championship standard.
Last season may have ended in desperate disappointment with defeat to Blackpool in the play-offs, but the fact that Forest were anywhere near a top six finish, never mind 3rd, was evidence of what can happen if a chairman backs his manager and brings enough quality through the doors.
Which leads us to this summer. In any business, but especially football, if you do not go forwards, you go backwards. Forest have stood still and let the league catch up. Ryan Bertrand may have came in on loan from Chelsea, and Radoslaw Majewski's loan is now a permanent deal, but the club has not built on the foundations laid by last season's hard work. More players have gone out than in. Admittedly some are out on loan, and we got (in my opinion) good money for another in James Perch - but it should not be happening that we start this season weaker than last.
The primary mistake was from Mark Arthur was when he declared in public his desire to bring Peter Whittingham and Darren Pratley to the club. Cardiff and Swansea, respectively, were understandably upset about what they claimed to be tapping-up, and promptly raised their asking prices. But from Forest's perspective, a club who should be building a promotion-winning squad should be prepared to raise offers upon rejections, no matter what the circumstances. Another mistake was not having any secondary transfer targets for when the Welsh clubs got fed up of Forest's dallying and said no.
The club obviously can afford to spend money, no club in the Championship spent more twelve months ago, so it makes their failure to do so even more frustrating and disappointing. I renewed my season ticket with a real hope that 2011 could be the year we finally reach the Premier League again. Although the season is only four games old, that dream already looks like just that, a dream. I can't see it becoming as bad as after the 2003 play-off defeat and the infamous 'we're serious about promotion' campaign which resulted in the sacking of Paul Hart and the club getting relegated, because we haven't become a bad side overnight. But it is disheartening to know that whoever goes up, we will think, 'That could have been us.'
After sacking Colin Calderwood and appointing his replacement Billy Davies, Forest just about did enough to secure Championship status. The following summer, he, and the Transfer Acquisitions panel containing Chief Executive Mark Arthur, Chairman Nigel Doughty and David Pleat, sought, and delivered, the new arrivals to bring Forest up to Championship standard.
Last season may have ended in desperate disappointment with defeat to Blackpool in the play-offs, but the fact that Forest were anywhere near a top six finish, never mind 3rd, was evidence of what can happen if a chairman backs his manager and brings enough quality through the doors.
Which leads us to this summer. In any business, but especially football, if you do not go forwards, you go backwards. Forest have stood still and let the league catch up. Ryan Bertrand may have came in on loan from Chelsea, and Radoslaw Majewski's loan is now a permanent deal, but the club has not built on the foundations laid by last season's hard work. More players have gone out than in. Admittedly some are out on loan, and we got (in my opinion) good money for another in James Perch - but it should not be happening that we start this season weaker than last.
The primary mistake was from Mark Arthur was when he declared in public his desire to bring Peter Whittingham and Darren Pratley to the club. Cardiff and Swansea, respectively, were understandably upset about what they claimed to be tapping-up, and promptly raised their asking prices. But from Forest's perspective, a club who should be building a promotion-winning squad should be prepared to raise offers upon rejections, no matter what the circumstances. Another mistake was not having any secondary transfer targets for when the Welsh clubs got fed up of Forest's dallying and said no.
The club obviously can afford to spend money, no club in the Championship spent more twelve months ago, so it makes their failure to do so even more frustrating and disappointing. I renewed my season ticket with a real hope that 2011 could be the year we finally reach the Premier League again. Although the season is only four games old, that dream already looks like just that, a dream. I can't see it becoming as bad as after the 2003 play-off defeat and the infamous 'we're serious about promotion' campaign which resulted in the sacking of Paul Hart and the club getting relegated, because we haven't become a bad side overnight. But it is disheartening to know that whoever goes up, we will think, 'That could have been us.'
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